


Underneath The Mistletoe

by the_albatross



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Drinking, F/F, Fluff, Mistletoe, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:22:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22241761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_albatross/pseuds/the_albatross
Summary: Bianca wakes up with a hangover and limited memories after kissing someone at Alyssa's holiday party. Although she doesn't know who it was, it seems someone else (or rather, multiple someone elses), does...and they're enjoying the free entertainment as she struggles to put the pieces together and find her mystery partner.Thank you @VeronicaSanders for beta-ing and brainstorming with me.
Relationships: Bianca Del Rio/???
Comments: 16
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just pretend I released this before the holidays ended.

What. The. Hell. Happened?

Those were Bianca’s immediate thoughts as she came to one very bright, very _noisy_ morning.

The second she opened her eyes, the sun damn near blinded her as the noise outside the house, dogs barking, cars rushing by and the like, assaulted her ears. Pretty much the first thing she noticed was that she was not in her home. No, it looked like she was in...fucking _Laganja’s_ bedroom.

_‘Why?’_ was her immediate thought as she looked around, completed baffled and dazed. Her mind struggle for a moment but then she finally remembered, ‘ _Oh, yeah. Last night was their holiday party.’_

Alyssa and Laganja always hosted the party two weeks before Christmas and it was _always_ themed. Last year had been tacky, ABC costumes and this year...ugh.

Alyssa had sent out the invitations weeks ago asking everyone to wear something in traditional Christmas colors...and tacked on a suspicious warning at the end; _“And none of y’all better be wearing lipstick when you get here. You can just march yourself right to the bathroom and wipe that shit off if you try sneaking in with any!”_

The instant Bianca had read that block of text, a red flag had immediately gone up. Hell, a fucking parade of red flags against a backdrop of fireworks went off in her mind.

But still, it was a chance to see her friends before the holidays swallowed up all of her time...and the offer of free booze didn’t hurt Alyssa’s case either. Besides, Bianca figured, how crazy could Alyssa really get with that request?

Well, as it turned out, she had quite the festive and innovative motive for requesting nude lips.

******

_Bianca and Adore made plans to arrive at the party together and maybe even carpool on their way home. One might stay at the other’s house depending on how much they drank but that was a concern for much later, Bianca reasoned._

_Even before they had stepped inside the tacky, overly decorated house, the party behind its doors sounded to be in full swing. Laughter and mindless chatter echoed onto the front lawn long before they were halfway up the driveway. They barely made it two feet past the door frame before Alyssa flagged them down and held out two tubes of suspiciously unlabeled lipstick before them._

_"Take your pick!" she laughed out in excitement._

_Far from amused, Bianca asked sarcastically, "What colors are they? Silver and gold?"_

_"Red and green, smartass! For Christmas!"_

_"Right. What about Hanukkah?"_

_"Cute, Miss Thing," Alyssa remarked with a roll of her eyes. "Now pick one."_

_Glancing between the similar tubes, Bianca had to admit there were absolutely no clues about the color each one held. So rather than leaving it chance, Bianca stated flatly, "Red. Which is red?"_

_Immediately shaking her head, with a Cheshire grin to boot, Alyssa replied, "Uh-uh. Not how it works, baby girl. You gotta pick one."_

_"Oh, really?" Bianca sneered as she crossed her arms and stared down her friend. Those ruby red lips of hers had not gone unnoticed, especially given the hard time she was giving Bianca right now. "And you just_ happened _to pick your favorite shade by random chance?"_

_A flash of guilt swept across Alyssa's face for just a moment but by the time Adore had started snickering in the background, it was gone and replaced an annoyed pout._

_Feeling rather justified, Bianca made a further jab of, "Yeah, that's what I thought, bitch. Which one is red?"_

_Alyssa's response was only to huff but it was easy to see her beginning to try and think of some counter argument or sarcastic remark. Before things could escalate that far, Adore reached over and plucked one of the tubes from Alyssa's hands._

_Quite calmly, she uncapped it and upon seeing the glaring red, promptly handed it over to Bianca._

_A smirk was present on both of the women's faces, particularly when Alyssa grumbled, "Killjoy," as she handed Adore the remaining tube._

_The contents were a bright green, almost too bright for the holidays, and instantly Bianca had a guess as to where it came from._

_"Steal that from 'Ganja?"_

_Full of indignation at the accusation, Alyssa let out a squawk of,_ "Borrowed."

_"Like you 'borrowed' my green halter last year?" Bianca countered with a scoff at the denial._

_"I'm gonna return it!” Alyssa argued even as her voice rose in pitch. Her cheeks were beginning to burn with a light as she mumbled, “Just need to find it again."_

_A quick roll of the eyes gave away Bianca’s thoughts on the matter but just in case it wasn’t clear enough already, she added in, "Don't worry about it. I already snatched it from your laundry basket last month."_

_Alyssa was the very picture of beauty and composure as she stared with wide eyes darting back and forth between a smirking Adore and vaguely irritated Bianca. Her mouth was gaping open like a fish as she tried to search the recesses of her mind for some kind of excuse for herself. All she could come up with, however, was a very flimsy and rather grating, "It was an accident!"_

_"Of course it was."_

_Whether it was luck or simply overhearing the chatter of her roommate and not wanting to be left out, Laganja found her way to Alyssa’s side to greet their latest arrivals. She took one look at Bianca and the fresh lipstick on her face and pouted, "Mmph. Wanted to see Bianca with green lips for once."_

_"Ha,” Bianca snapped back in a deadpanned tone, “Like I'd be caught dead with that shit on my lips."_

******

Ugh, fucking _Laganja_.

No doubt she had a hand in choosing this year's theme. Probably had enough of everyone (mostly Bianca) teasing her for wearing that hideous green lipstick year round.

She was usually a pain to deal with under normal circumstances but last night she was something else entirely, certainly she'd been helped along by the ever flowing alcohol at the party. Even when she greeted Bianca and Adore at the entryway she’d been well on her way to buzzed and probably already high as fuck.

It was a wonder sometimes though; for all that stereotyping about pot smokers being lazy and complacent, little of that seemed to apply to Laganja. The girl was energetic and active as anything, even after smoking whatever productive she could at every given chance. Adore was about the opposite when she smoked; becoming contemplative and almost thoughtful (as much as she could be while high off her ass). But most importantly, she was _chill_... _relaxed._

A little rambly, sure, but nothing so loud or annoying as Laganja was. No whiny, high-pitched voice to grate on her nerves. No overly-emotional outbursts or flaring tempers.

But wasn’t important right now. What Bianca was most concerned about was what happened last night after arriving. She _knew_ she must have drank quite a bit, the fact that she chose to sleep in _Laganja’s_ bed rather than in her own bed was evidence of that. She could only hazard a guess as to what state her hair and makeup must be in...Actually...perhaps it’s best not to think about that right now. Maybe just avoid all reflective surfaces anyway. No, what she needed more than anything, except perhaps coffee, was a nice, hot shower to clean off the paint she slept in last night.

Hopefully, after that and giving herself a chance to wake up a little more, her fucking hangover to end all hangovers would disappear and she’d be able to think clearly once again.

So, with a great effort from her still fatigued body, she pushed herself from the bed and stumbled into the main hallway. It was quiet inside the house and a little unsettling given how late in the morning it was, she expected at least Alyssa to be up and wandering around trying to clean up the mess. But it was damn near silent...apart from a soft snoring coming from the living room.

As stealthily as she could manage, Bianca crept towards the living room to take a quick peek at its state after last night. A quick look around the room confirmed that she was not the only one that had slept over. Adore was nestled on the couch, probably face down and drooling onto the cushions as various examples of Laganja’s hideous throw pillows covered her head and protected her from the sun shining in through the bay window. As for Laganja she was curled up on the other end of the couch, using one arm as a pillow as the other hung off the edge of the couch.

But Adore and Laganja weren’t the only ones sleeping off last night’s drunken escapades in here. After a further glance, Bianca found Willam sprawled out over the loveseat with an arm thrown over her eyes and her messy curls falling across the rest of her face. Even the straps of her dress barely seemed to be holding their place on her shoulders and her heels were missing from her feet. Actually, it seems there was a collection of shoes near the loveseat, Willam’s own likely among them. Adore’s platform boots stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the shiny stilettos and wedges of the remaining guests.

Deep in one of the corners, it seems Raja and Manila had managed to find comfort curled into one another in the constricted space of the recliner. From what Bianca could see, both women’s makeup had been somewhat smeared, particularly their lips. She could only imagine what Willam’s usual glittery mess must look like, especially after her arm had undoubtedly smeared any eyeshadow that was left.

After a quick double-checking to ensure everyone was still fast asleep, Bianca crept out of the house to do her walk of shame in as much privacy as could be managed in broad daylight and a Lyft. To her relief she met no one else aside from her driver as she traveled back to her apartment and proceeded to get ready for a much needed shower. While the water heated up, she finally dared to look in a mirror to begin removing last night’s makeup and it was then that she made a disturbing discovery. 

Aside from her own smudged ruby-red lipstick, there was also a very distinct layer of green smeared over top. Not just a small hint of green. No, it was _everywhere_. It was even fucking extended up her _cheek!_

Just what the hell happened last night?

Sure, Bianca’s pecked friends on the cheek or lips while drunk before but she’s never _made out_ with anyone!

And who had it been, anyway?

_‘Had anyone seen? Taken pictures?’_ She wondered.

Oh, god! This is _not_ what she needed to worry about so early in the day. Especially not with a hangover to boot.

‘ _Okay, just…take a moment,_ ’ she reasoned. ‘ _Just let everything come back on its own. Don’t force it.’_

And of course, what better way to encourage those buried memories to come back than to just let her mind wander in the shower. The warm spray was so relaxing, so calming...It was just what she needed after passing out on a couch.

And sure enough, some of last night’s events did begin to seep into the forefront of her mind. 

She remembered...bickering with Laganja a bit more over that hideous green lipstick...mingling with some of her friends for a few minutes and then...

Oh, right! She made her way to the kitchen to grab a drink!

She finished off the first glass of wine alone and then...she poured another before joining the rest of the party again. There was laughing, joking. She was having a great time catching up...But what else?

A number of guests had been wandering around taking photos and videos for Instagram, Facebook and god knows what else. She’d even posed for a few of those and posted one or two herself...and then…

Suddenly a thought flashed through her mind; Raja! 

She and Raja had gone around looking for another bottle of wine and stumbled upon Alyssa’s secret stash. The _good_ bottles. The _expensive_ bottles. So of course, they eagerly dipped in and shared what they had found. It was then the party really got interesting and Bianca’s memory began to spread thin.

She remembered laughing, so much harder than before. There were little glimpses but she and the others were having a wonderful time. Someone had their feet up in her lap for a minute before she pushed them off. Probably Adore. But what about after that?

It was foggy...she drank so much but it was fun…

Then there was a vague, thin little memory...Her back was pressed against a doorframe, eyes closed, some kind of... _smell_...and she was kissing someone...but why?

She tried focusing on what she remembered before the drinking, what she noticed soon after arriving and commented on...what was it?

_Mistletoe!_

Now she remembered! Alyssa and Laganja had hung that shit all over their house. Bianca had dodged nearly every one of them she found, especially if someone were standing near it. Almost certainly there’d been one above her and whoever she kissed...but why did she let them? Was she really drunk enough to be that messy with one of her friends?

And who the fuck was it?

That was what annoyed her the most. She just couldn’t remember!

But maybe she didn’t have to.

An idea struck her and like a flash, she finished her shower and went to grab her phone. By now most of the photos and video from the party should be posted...maybe someone had caught a snapshot of her without realizing it...But as she looked through all of the updates, she realized this was a tougher challenge than she originally anticipated. Aside from just the pictures, there must have been hours worth of video to watch, thanks to a few of the attendees livestreaming, along with whatever else might posted in their stories.

Ugh...what a pain.

But she _had_ to know.

So for nearly an hour, she sat on her bed in just her towel and scrolled through every picture and video that had been posted by her friends. It was when she came to the sixth profile (Tatianna’s) that she finally struck gold. In the background of one of her stories Bianca caught a glimpse of herself with someone’s hand tucked under her chin. They weren’t kissing just yet but she’d have bet _anything_ that would have come next. 

But thanks to whatever stupid filter Tatianna had been using, the background was largely blurry and Bianca could barely make out her own figure, much less someone else’s. Not to mention that annoying habit of Tatianna’s that prevented her from standing still. Her fucking hair blocked out nearly everything that might have made the other woman recognizable. All except that one visible hand. But perhaps the most irritating thing of all was if the story had been just a little longer, Tatianna would have moved just enough to see the other woman’s hair color, something that would be a lot more definitive than just their fucking hand! But no, the universe would have been too kind to allow that.

So frustrating!

Even after playing the story on a loop for five minutes, all Bianca could learn was that the person she kissed had light skin, at least lighter than her own…

_‘So Bob’s out,’_ she figured.

But...there was something else...She didn’t really remember the person tucking their hand beneath her chin but when she kissed them, she could have sworn they were about her height...she didn’t have to crane her neck too far, she recalled...but also...if her memory could even be trusted, the kiss just felt nice...inviting even. Clearly it was messy judging by the smeared lipstick but there was something just...well, she couldn’t explain it...at least not right now.

But that’s a thought for another time.

_‘And when was this posted anyway?’_

About 7 hours ago, so...2 AM-ish. Not many people likely to be left at the party by then. She could probably name a few with a little extra effort- _Oh!_

Alyssa would probably remember. She’d have to text her in a minute. Bianca was certain there was another clue to discover still and sure enough in the next story posted, discounting the one displaying all of the empty glasses and bottles scattered on the kitchen counter, was of Tatianna and _Willam_. It was still time stamped as 7 hours ago but what caught Bianca’s eye was the heavily smudged green lipstick on Willam’s face...and where certain traces of red could be seen.

_‘Oh, god, if it’s her. Fucking Christ, I’ll need to head over to the free clinic.’_

But it still wasn’t anything definite. However, it was the best lead Bianca had at the moment until she finds out everyone else who was still at the party. So, as she waited for a response from Alyssa, undoubtedly sleeping in after such a long night, Bianca was going to question Willam on what exactly she remembered of last night’s escapades.

******

_Sharon: Biiiitch!_

_Sharon: You are not gonna believe what I saw last night!_

_This was the first message Willam saw popping up on her screen after last night’s drunken fiasco; a group text initiated by Sharon including damn near everyone of their mutual friends._

_Before anyone could even ask what it was (or why she was texting so early in the goddamn morning), a picture loaded on the screen that undoubtedly had several jaws dropping._

_Michelle: Is that BIANCA?!?!_

_Vanessa: Who’s gonna tell that bitch she got syphilis now?_

_Jackie: WHORE!_

_Mariah: When’d she turn into Drinkx?_

_Jinkx: Fuck you!_

_Countless messages filled the new chat group, so much that it was almost impossible to read all of them as they came through. Immediately at the sight of the picture, Willam was left doubled over and cackling._

_Saving the picture to her phone, she returned her attention back to the chat and found the other members debating on when to tell the involved parties. Some wanted to tell her right away and begin the mandatory teasing, others wanted to wait and keep it as an in-joke for the time being._

_The one thing they could all agree on was that this information was, under_ no _circumstances, to be shared with certain people. Alyssa and Katya, first and foremost; two of the biggest loudmouths in the group._

_And not that 'rat-snitch Phi Phi' came another declaration. Otherwise, Bianca would know within the hour._

_Further debate went on for nearly an hour until Willam found a new text message alert appearing at the top of her screen. Her eyes lit up with a devilish glint as she returned to the group chat to inform them that Bianca was inviting herself over and of course argued with them on what she ought to do._

_Whatever they decide, Willam was intent on having her fun with this._

******

Despite Bianca’s sense of immediacy with her text, Willam did not seem to feel any rush to respond back right away. During the two hours it took for her to reply, Bianca was left stewing in her apartment sending ever urgent messages in the hopes of getting an actual fucking response. So, once the first indication of a reply flashed across her phone, Bianca was off like a shot and racing towards Willam's home.

In record time, thanks to quite a bit of speeding, she arrived at Willam's apartment building and began knocking on her door. Nearly the second it opened and she was face-to-face with her exhausted friend, Bianca blurted out, “What do you remember from last night?”

Smirking, Willam shot back, "What? No 'hello'? No 'Good morning!' or ‘How about we get some coffee?’"

"Don't try me, bitch," she warned as she stalked inside the apartment and made her way to the living room, "I'm not in the mood. What. Do. You. Remember?"

A sense of coy, teasing overlaid itself in Willam’s voice as she asked, “Depends...What do you want to know?”

"Cut the shit, Willam. Do you remember _anything_ from Alyssa's party?”

“Well…” Willam mocked as she sat down next to her friend, “I remember there was music and food, dancing and drinking. You and Raja raiding Alyssa’s liquor cabinet. Kameron and Asia ducking out early to-”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!”

Still with a smirk on her lips, Willam taunted her, “Do I?”

The glare shot her way might have intimidated just about anyone else but Willam found it more amusing than anything. It was unusual for Bianca to get so worked up and certainly this wasn’t an opportunity Willam was going to miss, not when it was so enticingly presented before her. But part of her did feel a strange bit of pity for Bianca. Clearly, she must have remembered _something_ about the kiss. Perhaps she was just trying to damage control...for what little good it might do her.

Quickly coming to the end of her patience, Bianca gave a heavy, reluctant sigh before admitted, “I kissed someone last night. I don’t remember who.”

The response, as Bianca expected, was an immediate, loud seal-like laugh that echoed throughout the room. She didn’t think it was meant to be malicious, but it certainly did nothing to relieve the sting of embarrassment she felt following her confession. Nevertheless, a scowl grew across her face as her fingers drummed irritably along the couch’s cushion.

Once she had some control over herself again, minus the snickering that snuck through, Willam asked, “So...you don’t have any idea who was? Seriously?”

Glaring back at her smirking friend, seemingly just for good measure at this point, Bianca replied begrudgingly, “All I know is that they were wearing that stupid green lipstick. It was all over my lips when I woke up this morning...”

With that admission, Willam shrieked with laughter and collapsed onto her side as she threw herself into the couch cushions. A very familiar burn of irritation ran through Bianca’s core and despite herself, she could feel a light blush beginning to rise. 

“Fuck off,” she snapped back, “It might’ve been _you_ , cunt!”

At that the laughter doubled and soon Willam was clutching her arms around her sides to keep herself together. “You-” she gasped out between her broken cackling, “You really think-it might’ve been... _me_?”

Bianca gave an irritable shrug of shoulders and avoided looking directly at Willam for the time. “Might’ve been...There was a picture of you on Tati’s Instagram with your lipstick smudged with someone else’s. Someone that was wearing _red_.”

Pushing herself up from the cushions, her body still shaking with hidden fits of giggling and that ever present smirk on her face, Willam turned a bit thoughtful as she replied consideringly, “Well...anything’s possible.” It truly was. Her sobriety last night was probably not much better than Bianca’s but at least she remembered _some_ of the events of the party. She knew she probably kissed someone at the party but based on that picture flying around the group chat, Willam knew it wasn’t with Bianca. Still though, this opportunity was just too good to miss. She just had to keep playing along. 

“I was drunk and high off my ass most of the night,” she conceded, “I probably could’ve kissed _Raven_ and not remembered it.” 

Not exactly the answer Bianca had been hoping for. Ideally, she’d have liked someone to know for sure or at least have evidence. But with Willam and her own shaky memory it seems this might just be left as a mystery. 

The disappoint on Bianca’s face was clear to see and before she could really think twice, Willam found herself offering, “Well, we can try it. If you want, I mean.”

The shrug of her shoulders with the suggestion was nonchalant but just maybe, if Willam were honest with herself, the idea did excite her a little. For as long as she could remember, ever since they first met, Bianca’s never really kissed any of their close friends, or at least none too frequently like Willam herself did. It would be an odd night indeed if Willam was drunk around her girlfriends and didn’t makeout with at least one of them. But Bianca was different. She always seemed to turn her nose up at it, or roll her eyes and walk away. Maybe even adding in a snarky comment here and there. All of this behavior left Willam, and probably a few others in the group chat, slightly curious as to what it would be like to kiss her. But certainly they all loved seeing her getting just as messy as them for once.

And with her suggestion, Bianca actually looked to be considering it, to her surprise...though it was taking a bit more time than Willam would have liked. But after a minute of internal debate, Bianca was nodding her head in confirmation.

Seeing the approval on Bianca’s face, Willam leant in closer until their lips were very nearly touching. She stopped just short in case Bianca was going to change her mind at the last second. Both of the women held their breath for just a moment before Bianca closed the gap and let their lips brush together.

It was soft and hesitant at first as Willam let Bianca take the lead. Something in the back of Bianca’s mind worried about crossing a line but deep down she knew that wouldn’t be the case. Not with Willam at least. The situation was strange, Bianca never thought she’d be kissing one her friends while stone-cold sober, but this was actually nice. It wasn’t breath-taking or life altering but it was enjoyable. Willam was really a good kisser but not as forward or domineering as Bianca would have guessed. Perhaps because this wasn’t an effort to take her to bed...just a little experiment to find some answers...and Bianca had to admit, she did find one of them through this kiss.

Pulling away, she noted almost regretfully, “Not you. The kiss last night was just...different from this.”

And it was. She felt comfortable during this kiss alright but not in the same way as what she remembered from the party. Something about that kiss just let her feel totally relaxed, while kissing Willam today, though admittedly fun, still left her feeling tense.

Willam gave her friend a consoling smile and chirped away brightly, “Well, at least you can cross one name off your list.”

“Yeah…”

“Who _is_ on your list by the way?”

Bianca gave a half-defeated sigh of frustration as she pulled out her phone (no new messages of course) and opened her notepad app. Glancing down the list, she grumbled, “I still need Alyssa to get back to me but I know at least there was you...then Manila and Morgan...Trixie...Adore and Alaska...Dela...and Phi Phi. That’s everyone that I _know_ was still at the party after 2 _and_ had that green lipstick.”

“Don’t forget about Laganja,” Willam was quick to add. Bianca shot her very expressive, WTF glare but she reasoned quite soundly, “Well, she _does_ live there and green lipstick is her trademark.”

Wholly unconvinced and even a bit annoyed at the suggestion, Bianca was firm in rebuking the thought, “It wasn’t Laganja. I’d remember _that_.”

“Not that you remember _much_.”

“Neither do you, bitch!” she snapped back, growing even more irritable.

Rolling her eyes and letting that particular subject drop for now, Willam moved on to inquire, “So why them? And what’s so special about 2AM?”

“Tati has a story up,” Bianca began with long-suffering sigh as she pulled out her phone and opened up Instagram. Handing the evidence over to her friend, she added, “I can see me just fine but…”

“Just their hand,” Willam murmured, now seeing her problem and murmuring in agreement, “Not much to go on.”

Deciding to throw in her last possible clue, just for the hell of it, Bianca took her phone back and muttered indecisively, “And I _think_ they might’ve been around my height.”

“Then cross off Alaska,” Willam stated brusquely.

Bianca arched a brow at her but Willam was quick to cover for herself with “...She’s too tall.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Bianca deleted the name from the list and immediately another caught her eye that ought to go for the same reason, “Adore’s off, too.”

“And definitely not Morgan,” Willam added in with a shake of her head, “You’d have woken up with a black eye, not green lips if you kissed her.”

And probably true. Raven likely would have decked her if she ever made a move on her girlfriend.

“So that still leaves...Manila, Trixie, Dela, and Phi Phi.”

“And Laganja,” Willam reiterated with a sing-songy tone to her voice and teasing smirk on her lips.

“ _Not_ Laganja.”

Another short fit of laughter erupted from Willam at her stubborn insistence. Rolling her eyes, Bianca held her tongue on the matter. She might’ve said something if not for a notification that Alyssa was _finally_ getting back to her. Took her long enough, but then again, it was a late night and she and Laganja were probably cleaning up the mess their guests had left.

But even if Alyssa isn’t able to give her any new information, that still leaves four potential suspects for Bianca to investigate. On a normal day, that might not be so bad, but around the holidays?

Ugh. Who knows when they’ll all get back to her. It’s not like they’re all the greatest at replying promptly anyways. And what if it doesn’t turn out to be any of them? Or if there’s no way to really confirm it? What would she do then?

But like an angel, or maybe devil, coming to her aid, Willam piped up with a cheerful grin and offered, “Hey, let me ask a couple more people and get back to you, okay? I’ll let you know what I find out.”

“Thanks,” Bianca said, feeling a bit more hopeful. Maybe with Willam’s help, she really could figure this out...or maybe it’ll all blow up in her face thanks to Willam’s big mouth.

Well, for now, she’s finally got ahold of Alyssa so she’s off to find out what she knows.

******

_The instant Bianca was out of sight, Willam had her phone in hand and was rapidly typing away in the chat._

_Willam: Ladies!_

_Willam: None of you are going to believe what just happened_

_Within seconds the chat came alive again and Willam basked in the attention as she recalled every little detail of Bianca’s visit for their entertainment and amusement._


	2. Chapter 2

As Bianca drove off from Willam’s apartment, she placed her phone on speaker and called up Alyssa. She only had to wait through three rings before a voice on the other line picked up with a rather unamused, “Bitch.”

“Hey, Alyssa!-”

“No, no. Nuh-uh,” she interrupted in order to start a tirade that had been stewing all day, “Don’t you talk to me like you didn’t leave my house in absolute  _ state  _ last night! Y’all tryna drink me out of house and home and-”

“Hey, I wasn’t the only one! Raja-”

"You  _ and _ Raja! You two were the ones that broke into my liquor cabinet-”

“No, we didn’t!” Bianca squeaked out as she attempted to defend herself. “It was  _ unlocked _ !”

“You both spearheaded it!” Alyssa declared adamantly. “None of the others would’ve even found those bottles if it weren’t for you two snooping around!”

Hating that she was getting sidetracked by this unwanted argument, Bianca felt obligated to point out, “We weren’t snooping!”

But that only produced another loud tangent being screamed through the phone line as Alyssa ranted away. If the car hadn’t been steadily moving along through the busy streets, Bianca might have been inclined to bang her head on the steering wheel. After her eyes rolled for the umpteenth time and Alyssa’s scolding reached it’s eighth minute, Bianca just couldn’t take it anymore. Interrupting the rant much like a wrecking ball going through drywall, she relented, “Okay! Fuck! I’m sorry, alright? I’m sorry.”

To her surprise, Alyssa actually remained quiet as she waited for her to go on. At this point Bianca expected there to be more to her bitching but it seems she was willing to listen to what Bianca had to say. After knowing the other woman for so long, Bianca knew the best and quickest solution would be to remedy the situation. Though in this case it felt like more like a bribe than anything else.

But either way it was the right thing to do and had she not needed Alyssa’s help anyway, she likely would have done something similar eventually. Allowing a decent amount of shame and guilt to tint her voice, Bianca offered, “Listen...Can I make it up to you, buy you another bottle or two? Maybe that fruity shit you like?”

She couldn’t remember the brand at the moment but she had no doubt Alyssa knew which wine she was referring to. Expensive, flashy, and hardly worth the cost in Bianca’s opinion but it’d be worth it to soothe Alyssa’s anger  _ and  _ get the information she desperately wanted. 

But almost expectantly, Alyssa was playing hardball. She countered with a very firm, “...Four bottles.”

“Four?!?” Bianca screamed out in disbelief. That shit is  _ pricey _ . She could practically hear her bank account crying in protest already. Alyssa, however, remained stubborn and brought up once again, “Excuse you, bitch. Did you  _ see  _ how much y’all drank last night? I can tell you right now, it was a helluva lot more than four bottles worth!”

“Ugh, fine!” She conceded, along with a mental note that Raja owes her for this. “But  _ you  _ gotta answer my questions.”

Joyful and smug at having been promised her favorite drink, Alyssa was all too happy to assist Bianca with her dilemma. As the hostess, she did try remain somewhat level-headed throughout the evening, more so than her roommate, and was able to recall a few names that she thought she remembered seeing towards the end of the get-together.

Running through her list, Bianca noted, “Right...so I missed...Shangie, Violet, and…”

“Nina,” Alyssa supplied absently, undoubtedly doing something else more engaging as she talked with Bianca.

Dreading the answer, Bianca began, “Which-”

“West.”

“Oh, _ fuck me _ ,” she muttered to herself. She could only imagine what kind of impression she left on one of her newest friends. There was a small hope that just maybe Nina wouldn’t remember any more of the night than she or Willam had...or at least that anything she might’ve done while drunk would not come back to haunt her later. After all, she really had hoped to get to know Nina better in the coming weeks and acting like a drunken, hot mess was not in her plan.

Breaking through Bianca’s wandering mind, Alyssa took to suspiciously asking her, “Now are you gonna tell me what this is about, Miss Thing?”

“Nope!” Bianca replied briskly, “Thanks, bye!”

“Bitch, my wine-”

“I’ll drop it off tomorrow,” she assured her and right as she ended the call, let out another teasing “Bye!”

As soon as she was sure she dropped the other line, Bianca let out a groan of frustration. If she knew she could keep it, she’d have promised herself anything that she’d never drink around friends again! But that’d be a very short-lived pledge and she knew it all too well. At least she got three more names she missed from Alyssa. Though she had a feeling that none of them were her mystery kisser.

Nina was far too tall, even if she were wearing flats that night, which seemed rather unlikely. As for Violet, Bianca couldn’t really see her getting drunk enough to make out with her and just vaguely she recalled seeing Violet with red lips earlier in the night...But Shangela...she was a possibility, though very unlikely.

As soon as Bianca got home, she confirmed that Shangie had been wearing green lipstick (thanks Instagram) but what kept Bianca from officially adding her to the list was simply because of Alyssa. 

Those two were close. 

And if Bianca had kissed Shangela, she doubted very much Alyssa would not already know about it, especially considering it would have happened in her house. So for now, Shangela will just remain in the back of her mind...Maybe if no one else pans out, she’ll reconsider but for now she has four other suspects to consider and first on her list is Dela.

Of the four, Dela seemed the most likely. Bianca had always felt comfortable and open around her. If something had happened between them last night, it would have just been for fun because of the stupid mistletoe. Bianca could see herself giving into Dela for a quick peck if she had bugged her long enough. After all, it was hard to say 'no’ to someone so bubbly and friendly, particularly if she throws in one of those infectious smiles...Plus out of all the suspects that remained, she was probably the most sober and might actually remember what all had happened...not that that really said much with Bianca’s group of friends.

But following a short conversation with her that night, Bianca learned that Dela had actually gone home shortly after 2AM. Seems Jinkx had a little too much to drink so Dela took charge of ordering a Lyft ride for both of them. She actually made a quick joke that Jinkx was trying to kiss just about everyone she found near one of the clumps of mistletoe. One person that took her up on the offer was actually Willam, not that Bianca was much too surprised by that...Though now that she's thought about it, that’s probably how Willam’s lipstick got smudged with red…

Well, one minor mystery solved. 

She thanked Dela for the information and crossed her off the list. They made plans to meet up well after the holidays but Bianca knew they’d probably see each sometime around New Year’s. Rumor had it that  _ someone  _ was thinking of hosting a party that night. Maybe Roxxxy, maybe not. But if not, they’ll probably find each other while bar-hopping.

For now, Bianca had to remove her from her mind and refocus on finding her mystery makeout partner. Her list already had two of the five original suspects crossed. Now who’s the next most likely? Bianca knew she’d have a chance to meet up Phi Phi in a few days, she could always ask her then but as for Trixie and Manila? Perhaps a text...or wait!

Bianca still had holiday gifts to deliver to her friends!

That was actually why she’d set up the dinner date with Phi Phi in the first place; to exchange gifts before Phi Phi left to go visit family across the country. Bianca could always use her delivery as an excuse to talk to the others...In fact, tomorrow would be perfect to visit Raja and Manila. She needs to pick up wine for Alyssa anyways, why not an extra bottle for Raja and then take it over to the couple?

And a little booze in her system might help soften the blow if Bianca had in fact kissed her girlfriend….

******

_ Dela: 🎶Guess who I just got a text from🎶 _

_ Mariah: Spill it baby! _

_ Dela: Bianca… _

_ Vanessa: Well? _

_ Vanessa: Quit stalling and tell us the goss, girl! I got Netflix to binge! _

_ Willam sat back and watched the conversation play out on the screen. Every so often she'd save a screenshot of a particularly hilarious comment or reaction. _

_ 'For reference,' she told herself. When the time comes to play  _ all _ her cards. _

*******

Unsurprisingly, the wine and spirits shop was quite busy when Bianca decided to drop in. Whether it was purely holiday related or just because it was after work and people wanted to get a head start on happy hour was left up to debate...probably a mix of both. Either way, Bianca had to dodge person after person in order to navigate the aisles, not to mention the occasional basket hitting her as someone unexpectedly backed up or rushed past her. But she was successful in locating both Alyssa’s overpriced shit and a suitable potential peace offering for Raja.

Right before dropping off the bottles at Alyssa’s house, Bianca made sure to text Raja and ask if both she and Manila were at home. It took nearly the entire length of her visit with Alyssa to get a response back (50 long, exhausting minutes thanks to Alyssa’s inane chatter and Laganja chiming in every now and then) but once she had her confirmation, she excused herself using the very true, if somewhat exaggerated, reason that she had other gifts to deliver tonight.

******

_ Manila: Three guesses who's coming over! _

_ Manila: she's on her way now _

_ Raja: We'll keep you updated with all the juicy details 😜 _

_ Manila: 🙄 _

_ Raja: 😘😘😘😘 _

_ Sharon: Ugh. Get a fucking room _

*******

Upon arriving at the girlfriends' shared house, Bianca was greeted at the door by an immediate warm and a tad too tight hug from Manila. Not that this was anything unusual for the woman, she’d always been rather physical with her signs of affection. Raja welcomed her with a more brief embrace and relieved Bianca of the parcels she was carrying, particularly after spotting the wine bottle peeking out from the gift bag.

“You know me so well,” she complimented.

“Easiest person to shop for,” Bianca agreed. “Just pick up a bottle for you and a bottle for me.”

Once inside and settled down, Bianca let each of the women unwrap their real gifts as she watched and drank from the bottle Raja already had opened for the night. Raja’s present consisted of several odd little keys that they had found while out shopping together a few months ago. Each was unique, especially in regards to their handles. Immediately after spotting them, Raja had announced her desire to use the keys for some kind of new art project or perhaps even to make an accessory of some kind. She was entirely ready to purchase them on the spot except for one small detail; the antique store’s strict cash-only policy.

Raja just didn’t have enough cash on her at the time. Had she asked, Bianca certainly would have lent her the money that day but for whatever reason, Raja didn’t even seem to think of it. Perhaps she thought she’d just come back later and pick them up but it worked out better for Bianca either way. Shortly after departing Raja’s company, she circled back to buy the keys and only a day or two following that, she received a text from Raja complaining that the items were already gone from the shop.

The instant Raja recognized her gift, she let out an affectionate murmur of “Bitch” and pulled Bianca in for a proper hug. She fell into a distracted state, examining each one and undoubtedly forming a plan of what she wanted to do now that they were finally in her possession. Though she remained quiet and calm, Bianca could easily spot the sparkle in her eyes. The one she'd always get when she becomes absorbed in her artwork.

As Raja mulled over ideas, Bianca turned her attention back to Manila. She'd been planning Manila's gift for quite awhile and took great pains in researching and finding just the right thing. 

Much earlier in the year, when the couple moved into their new house, one of Manila’s favorite bracelets broke. It had been a gift from Raja on their first anniversary; yellow gold twisted into a unique, almost braid-like appearance. Rubies accented some of the knots while diamond chips filled in the remainder.

Manila had been wearing the bracelet, as she did almost every other day, while the pair unpacked boxes and moved around their larger belongings. At some point during the process, the bracelet caught itself on a piece of furniture and one of the links snapped at its weakest point, sending a number of its neighboring pieces clattering to the floor. Manila had been heartbroken, she took it to the same jeweler it originally came from but the style had been discontinued several years prior; they had no additional links that could replace the broken one.

Knowing how much that bracelet meant to her, Bianca questioned a number of jewelry shops in both their city and others close by. After perhaps the tenth or eleventh call, she finally found someone who still retained a few extra links in their store’s repair department and with Raja’s help, she was able to sneak out the bracelet without Manila’s noticing. The work had been completed just three weeks prior and to both women’s amazement, Manila had yet to realize her bracelet was missing from her jewelry box.

But the instant she saw her prized bracelet gleaming back at her looking just like new, her eyes clouded with tears and she pulled in Bianca for another tight squeeze. She marveled at how amazing it looked, nothing could be seen to suggest it had ever been broken, and asked how she even managed to accomplish this. Bianca downplayed the effort, preferring not to get into too much detail but she made sure to cite Raja’s help as a main reason for why she’d been so successful in keeping this a secret.

In the end, she wasn’t sure how much Manila actually heard but that didn’t matter. All she cared about was that Manila loved her gift and if the stray tears falling down her cheek or admiring grin weren’t enough to convince her, the near bone-crunching hugs she kept receiving certainly got the point across.

They spent another hour or so chatting until the bottle of wine was nearly empty. It was only at this point that Bianca felt confident enough to ask the couple what they remembered of Alyssa’s party. Much to Bianca's surprise they'd been a good bit more sober than she was but certain details seemed to have escaped them.

“So nothing exciting or, I don’t know, interesting, happened that you remember?” she probed, trying not to feel utterly let down or disappointed.

“Not really, it was pretty tame for us, all things considered,” Raja replied back with a fond, secretive smile before taking another sip. “No one got really wild or out of hand like we do on New Year's. One of the few parties where no one even broke anything.”

“Right,” Bianca agreed slowly. She stalled for a moment then decided to try a subtle route one final time, “But you didn’t do anything after like, 2ish? That you can remember, I mean?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Raja wandered through her thoughts for a few seconds before recalling, “I was smoking with Laganja and Adore and that’s about it. Oh, and Alaska joined, too.”

“And I was talking with Nina and Phi Phi,” Manila chimed in. A considering look flashed across her face, as if she weren’t sure if were recalling the events correctly or not, but ultimately decided to mention, “...I think...you were with Shangela. Shangela and someone else. Maybe Katya?”

Perking back up, Bianca inquired earnestly, “Anything after that?”

The couple shared another perplexed glance with each other, like neither could entirely fill in the blanks, which was fair, but Bianca had a hope there still might be  _ something  _ they hadn’t mentioned yet. Unfortunately, as she soon found out, there was.

“We finished the joints and came back upstairs…,” Raja stated, taking another sip of her wine, and adding in, “I went off to find Manila and then...Adore and Laganja found  _ you _ .”

Feeling her eyes roll out habit, Bianca let out an annoyed groan, “Ugh. Bet that conversation was thrilling. Glad I don’t remember  _ that _ .”

Chuckling at the statement, Raja insisted, “You two were getting along, actually. You were all laughing at least. Adore put her feet in your lap at some point or tried to...I think you pushed them away and she fell off the couch.”

“Oh! And Alyssa caught Jinkx making out with someone!” Manila chirped away before breaking into a case of the giggles. “Dela took her home after that, I think.”

A reluctant smile stretched across Bianca’s lips but she couldn’t find it in her heart to be as amused by the situation as she normally would be. By now it was entirely clear that Bianca was fishing for information and that was a line of questioning she dreaded having to answer. Had the two not been privy to the group chat, they might have been more tactful...but in this case, they wanted to have a little fun too.

The pair exchanged a silent, meaningful look with one another as Bianca drained her glass and released a heavy sigh. Coming to a mutual agreement to pursue this further, Raja opted to be direct and ask outright why Bianca kept harping on the events of the party. Trying to remain aloof, Bianca didn’t answer the question right away. She played it off as a simple wondering of the party's late night events.

No, as Raja anticipated, it took quite a bit of probing (as well as some gentle encouragement from Manila) before Bianca was ready to share anything…Though the copious amount of wine rushing through her system probably helped too. It was after draining one final glass that Bianca finally revealed some of the details of what she knew happened at the party...and who one of her potential suspects might be.

Raja laughed a little, because of course she would, and even Manila couldn’t help but to smile at the thought of just how off her reasoning was. Still, she did feel a bit of sympathy for Bianca's confusion.

“And you’re  _ sure  _ I didn’t kiss you?”

Reaching over to take Bianca’s hand in hers, she assured her friend with a sympathetic smile, “Pretty sure, honey.”

This time the disappointment was clear on Bianca’s face but a small part of her was still skeptical. While it wouldn’t be ideal for her to have kissed one of her closest friend’s girlfriend, Bianca would have preferred Manila over her remaining suspects. It’d be a lot less messy after all.

As she tried to bring herself to accept this answer as it is, the couple next to her exchanged a few glances. It was the kind of nonverbal communication that only occurs between people that are exceptionally close, something Bianca was a little envious of. A darting of their eyes, a tilt to the head, a soft noise of questioning and finally a nod and grin of approval.

Bianca’s mind worked to unravel the meaning but in a second, it became clear. For just a few moments, her lips were connected with Manila’s and her eyes slid shut at the sensation. 

It was different from Willam’s, very different. 

Her tempo was relaxed and confident, so self-assured in what she was doing. It was almost like a meeting of the minds as they instantly fell into a matching pace...but there was absolutely no spark to it. If anything it was like each was just going through the motions and in some manner, that was even more of a let down than when she had kissed Willam. There had been some trace of passion or excitement with  _ that  _ kiss but here there was a stark lack of any emotions. Nothing like what she’d seen when Raja and Manila had kissed in front of her.

But that was just as well, she supposed. And now she had her answer for certain.

Pulling away, she conceded with a bittersweet smile, “Definitely not you.”

“Sorry, sweetie,” Manila murmured as she ran a consoling hand across Bianca’s back, “Hope you find out who it was, though.”

“Yeah...Me too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only one more chapter to go after this!

Saying their goodbyes to one another a short time later, Bianca hurried back to her car to call Willam with her updates.

“It’s not Dela and  _ definitely  _ not Manila,” she stated with a short huff of annoyance.

A snort of laughter quickly echoed through the phone’s mic. Rolling her eyes, Bianca waited out the storm until Willam regained control of herself, or at least enough that she was able to ask, “How’d you find out?”

“Texted Dela,” Bianca replied simply as she set her phone on speaker mode and began to drive home. Once she was clear of the driveway, she added, “She took Jinkx home a little bit after 2. Couldn’t have been her.  _ You  _ made out with Jinkx, by the way. Dela saw it.”

“Yeah,” Willam drawled out, sounding a little pleased with herself, “Sounds right. Jinkx had been trying that  _ all  _ night.” There was a short pause, probably reminiscing, Bianca realized, but then she heard Willam inquiring, “What about ‘Nila?”

Bianca stayed quiet for a few moments, debating if she really ought to tell Willam about this but ultimately, she decided, it didn’t really matter. Willam would probably find out from the couple at some point anyways. So, keeping most of the details to herself, she replied back, “I stopped by their house to drop off gifts. Ended up kissing her before I left. Definitely wasn’t her at the party.”

Immediately a loud, echoing burst of laughter filled her car as though Willam were right there with her. Bianca had thought it would die out soon enough but she was dead wrong. Almost half of her drive home was spent listening to an unending seal-like laugh coming from someone she was questioning for the upteenth time, why they were friends. In the end, Bianca’s self-conscious irritation, especially with Willam cackling out “I gotta tell Adore!”, got the better of her and she abruptly ended the call to stew in silence.

Upon arriving back home, she found her notification light flashing away as if to continually mock her. Of course it was only because of Willam. Bianca was inclined to ignore it but it seems Willam did have something of potential use to share about another party guest and potential suspect:

_ W:😂😂😂😂 _

_ W: daaaaamn!!! _

_ W: but you do you _

_ W: btw i was looking through trixie and katyas posts. trix had waaay too much to drink.  _

_ W: she was making less sense than katya!!!  _

_ W: god she’s a mess. i love her _

_ W: but talk to trix _

Interesting. 

Bianca thanked her for the information and made a mental note to follow up on it if nothing panned out with Phi Phi. After Manila, Phi Phi seemed to be the next most likely. She was there alone that night, as far as Bianca remembered, and it wouldn’t be the first time they’d gotten a little too close while drunk. Usually it only involved Phi Phi hanging off her or burying her face into Bianca’s neck before being interrupted by a roar of laughter. But it wouldn’t take much of a stretch, especially if both of them were drunk off their asses, for Bianca to picture herself kissing Phi Phi. That stupid mistletoe was probably just the right catalyst they both would need in order to cross that last remaining line.

Deciding that Phi Phi seemed even more like a viable suspect than before, Bianca could hardly wait for their dinner date. They had decided on Thursday night, the last free night Phi Phi had before flying out the next day. She hadn’t been thrilled giving up that chance for a good night’s rest before rushing off to the airport in the morning, but for Bianca...well, Phi Phi always made some extra allowances, Bianca had noticed. After all, Bianca knew she could be difficult to book for a casual hangout most of the year anyway; she preferred to keep herself busy and last minute offers or even inviting her out a week or two in advance would often yield no results.

It was almost a miracle this year that both women happened to be free at the same time, especially so close to the holiday itself. And each snatched up the opportunity to meet up without another thought. Now all Bianca had left to do was find out just what Phi Phi remembered from that night.

*******

_ Raja: Ladies! _

_ Raja: Do we have a story to tell you. _

_ Willam: go on, girl. I got something even better to share after you _

_ Raja: Just steal my damn spotlight, huh? _

_ Raja: Fine. So Bianca came over and- _

*******

The night of their dinner date was pretty relaxing, all things considered. Though the restaurant was a tad crowded, it was nothing overwhelming and the women had no trouble tuning everyone else out. They caught each other up on recent events and ordered drink after drink to accompany their meals. If the service was slow, neither really noticed, preferring instead to just focus on each other. Come the end of it, both women were laughing away about anything that came to mind as they walked back to their cars. Bianca handed over her gift first, something she had taken a chance on in the hopes that it would work out.

Back in the spring, she and Phi Phi had been hanging out with a couple of other friends. At some point in the conversation, Phi Phi’s eyes lit up as revealed that some new game was announced to be released for one of her favorite series. Bianca, and a few others, rolled their eyes at the announcement, but Phi Phi was as excited as ever as she described (in a bit too much detail, in Bianca’s opinion) why the series was so incredible. She spouted out every hope and theory she had for this new installment based on the limited information in the trailer.

Bianca distinctly remembered telling her, “Girl, you are almost  _ 30 _ , why are you still playing those things? Just drink like the rest of us.”

But Phi Phi emphatically defended her choice. Even then, Bianca was a little amused by the passion she had for both this series and other games as well. A few others made a comment or two and then the conversation shifted once again to something else. A movie or something, Bianca thought, but that game that Phi Phi mentioned stuck with her for some reason.

That same night Bianca tried watching the trailer but admittedly nothing really stuck out to her about it. It had that fantasy element that Phi Phi adored combined with the fighting aspect that she seemed reasonably good at. Other than that, nothing spoke to Bianca the same way it obviously did to Phi Phi. She did notice a few things listed in the trailer that were of interest; the release date was still months away but pre-ordering was already in full-swing. She had no doubt Phi Phi already gave the gaming company her money but there were a few offers otherwise for a variety of merch items. Everything from blankets to water bottles, they stuck either a logo or character from the series on  _ anything  _ that could be printed with a design.

But one of the characters did stick out to her...she’d seen it often enough in Phi Phi’s apartment in the form of little dolls, plushies, and even her phone case. There was no denying that this was probably Phi Phi’s favorite character, not just of the series, but in general. And this one seemed to be popular with a number of others as well; many items had the red “Out of Stock’ warning that Bianca felt she’d seen all too often while shopping for herself.

There was one figurine however, that really stuck out. It was an alternative outfit design than what was depicted on almost every other piece of merchandise and of course, was out of stock to boot. But in all the times Bianca had been around Phi Phi’s apartment, she didn’t remember seeing that particular figure anywhere. And when she looked at the price on the website it wasn’t hard to imagine why. She nearly choked on her drink as she saw what the cost was normally. No doubt since it was unavailable through the game’s official site that the price had now skyrocketed.

But it didn’t take a genius to know that Phi Phi probably wanted that figure more than anything. Likely she was waiting and hoping that it becomes available somewhere, perhaps even on the game’s site itself, and she can snatch it up without it costing an arm and a leg. And just in seeing that figurine, Bianca knew what gift she wanted to give Phi Phi for the holidays. She scoured the internet, hoping to find a decent price and kept herself updated whenever a new listing would be added. Finally after a month or so, an ad came out on Craigslist and within a few minutes Bianca was contacting the seller and exchanging shipping information.

The amount she paid meant nothing, hell, she’d even pay triple now, just for that look of absolute joy on Phi Phi’s face. It was even more stunning than Manila after receiving her bracelet back. A wide toothy grin broke out and even her attempts at hiding it did nothing to dull the happiness exuding from her very being. She immediately engulfed Bianca in a tight hug and refused to let go until she had said ‘Thank you’ at least a hundred times.

An unknown tension released itself from Bianca’s shoulders as she returned the gesture and let Phi Phi cling to her for a few moments longer. When she finally pulled away, she looked like she was dying to say more but bit it back in order to shakily hand over her own gift to Bianca. Her eyes drifted to the ground more than once as Bianca tore back the paper. Once it was finally free, a jewelry box was left staring back at her and her heartbeat picked up as she opened the top.

Inside was a beautiful pair of stud earrings. Sapphires so blue they almost looked black in the dark of night and cut into an oval shape set in sterling silver. Surrounding the sapphires were a ring of amethysts and on the posts themselves, small diamond chips extending down the short length. The design was incredible...and quite familiar.

As if sensing her thoughts, Phi Phi mentioned with a hint of nerves, “Yeah, when we were at the mall that one time, I saw you looking at them for awhile. You didn’t say anything but…”

“Thank you!”

Bianca truly couldn’t find the right words to express how much she loved her gift. She’d honestly forgotten about these earrings until now. She had intended to go back another day to pick them up but life just always got in the way. She always found herself too busy to get back to the mall or on the rare instances when she was there, she’d completely forget about heading into the store. 

But Phi Phi didn’t forget. 

She had recognized the interest Bianca took in those earrings and had gone back for them. That meant more to her than words could ever express.

Closing the box, Bianca stepped forward until there were only a few inches of space left between. She had just enough time to see Phi Phi swallow back a nervous gulp before their lips were pressed together and a pair of hands were resting firmly on her hips. Her own free hand found its way to Phi Phi’s face, tucking back the loose waves behind her ear, before cupping her cheek and letting their lips glide against each other until it came time to part.

Though this still wasn’t the kiss she was looking for, Bianca almost wished it was.

There was something there...something that she hadn’t felt in any of the other kisses. That tiny little spark was present but there was nothing calming about this kiss. It left her nerves on edge...like they’d been thoroughly fried by a sudden jolt of electricity…

Even Phi Phi didn’t seem too certain of what to say. Her eyes looked a bit dazed and an almost goofy looking smile rested on her lips. It took a few seconds for her to find her way back to reality, only then did she dare let out a nervous laugh, “Wow...really liked those earrings, huh?”

“I do,” Bianca assured her, taking a step back so they both could get some breathing room. “I really do. Thank you.”

“No problem,” came the vaguely distracted response. It seemed like the conversation would end there, that they’d part ways to each bang their heads on their steering wheels before driving home but Phi Phi dared to make one final inquiry before Bianca slipped away. “Hey...when I come back, after the holidays, I mean...do you wanna meet up again? Just us, like we did tonight?”

Finding herself relieved at the proposal, Bianca confirmed, “I’d love that...Pick a date and I’ll make it work, promise.”

With that understanding, the women said their goodbyes and returned home. Before falling into bed, Bianca texted Willam a quick update.

_ B: Not Phi. _

_ W: what? kiss her too? _

_ B: Yes _

_ W: gross _

_ W: lol _

_ B: She was better than you. _

Bianca let out a soft laugh as her phone became flooded with message alerts. Ignoring them for the time being, Bianca instead let her mind wander to her dwindling suspect list. Though that kiss with Phi Phi was a nice turn of events, she certainly wasn’t the same person she’d kiss beneath the mistletoe. Thinking back on it again, Bianca was sure there was another detail she remembered but just couldn’t pick out what it was. Something familiar…

But she didn’t dwell on that for long before realizing she now only had two names left (if she ignored Willam’s earlier suggestion of certain person, and of course, she would). 

Trixie and Shangela...Well...Willam did mention that it looked like Trixie had been drinking a bit that night...perhaps it really was her, after all.

But would she remember anything if they had?

Maybe Katya knows something...it certainly seemed like she was posting a lot of her roommate that night...but then again, when isn’t she? About half of Katya’s posts on any platform are of the various tactics she uses to annoy her roommate. Hell, it was a wonder that Trixie hadn’t killed her by now. 

Mmm...she still had yet to deliver  _ their  _ gifts...perhaps a visit this weekend is in order? 

Bianca was dead certain that if either of them knew something, she’d find out before too long. After all, they both turn into quite the chatterboxes when placed together and neither was above spilling secrets if the right buttons were pushed. Or...with a little luck....all she might need is just a bit of alcohol and some encouragement and off those two would be recounting the party and  _ everything  _ they remember...

*****

The next morning Bianca awoke to no less than 23 messages from Willam revolving around her kiss with Phi Phi. A few were demanding to know  _ why  _ Phi Phi was better, some even accusing her of lying and then finally it just devolved into sulking and name calling, ending with a simple text of ‘hateful old cunt.’

Sending back a short series emojis to further taunt Willam, Bianca let the conversation die with that and moved on to her next person of interest. She sent a quick inquiry to Katya to see if both she and her roommate would both be at home tonight, or failing that, when they’d be together so she could drop off their gifts.

A flurry of emojis flashed across her screen less than half an hour later and somewhere mixed in with all of that and a few nonsensical words (thank you button-mashing), Bianca learned that Sunday night they’d both be in for a ‘quiet’ evening together. With that understanding, Bianca sent a confirmation that she’d be over for a quick visit while out dropping off gifts for them and a few other friends she’d not yet seen. 

******

_ Later that week, the group chat came alive once more and immediately Willam tuned in to see what was developing. Things had been silent for awhile but now it seems Bianca was back in action and one of the other girls had news. _

_ Trixie: You were right Willam. _

_ Willam: i always am _

_ Willam: about what this time? _

_ Trixie: B’s coming over tomorrow. Katya just told me. At least i think that’s what her text said _

_ Sharon: Does she know? _

_ Trixie: Katya? _

_ Trixie: No, I haven’t told her if that’s what you’re asking. But I know someone told Adore. _

_ Trixie: Willam _

_ Sharon: Willam _

_ Vanessa: Willam _

_ Jinkx: Willam _

_ Willam: what? it was funny! _

_ Mariah: She better not ruin this for us. _

_ Willam: she won’t. as long as i keep her updated. that was our deal. _

_ Willam: she’s having just as much fun as we are _

_ Mariah: If you say so. No one told Phi Phi, right? _

_ Sharon: I haven’t heard anything since Willam told us.  _

_ Sharon: Pissed off at her. Why wouldn’t she tell me? You sure it actually happened Willam? _

_ Willam: trust me, bitch. it happened. _

_ Sharon: Bitch. _

  
_ A few further texts of name calling were exchanged before the conversation reverted back to Trixie. She had precious little information to go on but anything she knew, she gladly shared with the group. By the time the conversation faded out for the evening, Willam was dying to know what would happen. She was certain that  _ something  _ huge was gonna go down Sunday night. But just what, she could only guess. _


	4. Chapter 4

Over the last few years, Bianca had come to learn Katya and Trixie’s routine for entrapping guests at their apartment for hours on end. While Katya blindsided their friends with small talk, or even something a little deeper if she were in the mood, Trixie would supply booze and food to keep them all quite distracted and their inhibitions lowered. She could be quite the cook, particularly with desserts, and with Katya’s help in the kitchen, they often made tremendous batches of sweets, especially around the holidays. But all of those treats were just a decoy; more than once Bianca had spotted Trixie watching with a mischievous glint in her eye as Katya talked off the ear of another victim. It made sense why she loved to have guests; it meant less of an opportunity for Katya to tease her with whatever antics she managed to come up with that day. But with a little bit of careful wording, Bianca and a few others had learned how to turn Katya’s attention back to Trixie and then quietly slip out the door. Without this knowledge you could easily be trapped in the women’s apartment long into the night before they’d let you leave.

Come Sunday night, Bianca had her plan of action ready and waiting so off she went to Trixie and Katya’s apartment first. She’d expected a fair amount of their decor to be in keeping with the holidays but nothing could have prepared her for the sheer amount of tacky Christmas knickknacks or glaringly bright holiday decorations hung up around the women’s living space. Even their artificial tree was loaded with more tinsel, lights and ornaments than Bianca had thought to be possible....or reasonable.

Wandering inside in a sort of dazed state as she took everything in, she very nearly found herself walking beneath a haphazardly strung clump of mistletoe left hanging from a lighting fixture in the middle of the room. She might have had the misfortune of walking directly underneath it had Katya’s eyes not lit up in expectation and glee. Immediately suspicious, Bianca stopped in her tracks and cast her gaze around before finally spotting the offending object just 2 feet away.

“Nice try,” she rebuffed her friend as she sidestepped the fake plant and made her way towards the kitchenette.

Trixie was already set up at the kitchen’s island reading through their mail with an inviting plate of cookies laying out in front of her. She’d watch the short scene play out and with a long-suffering but amused smile, she murmured, “I told her she’d have to do better than that to catch you.”

“Much better,” Bianca agreed with a laugh as she made her way over.

Trixie pushed the plate in her direction and as soon as the gifts had been set down on the counter, Bianca was quick to help herself to some of the cookies. Katya soon joined them, munching away with a distinct air of disappointment, but her antics gave Bianca an idea. She could easily use the mistletoe to her advantage to sneak a quick kiss from Trixie. With any luck, she won’t have to disclose any information to either of them about her own misadventure at the party _or_ sit through any of their bickering about their own drunken antics from that night.

The tricky part however would be getting Trixie beneath the mistletoe, as by now she’s probably gotten used to avoiding it whenever Katya’s around. And then, of course, keeping Katya at bay in the meantime.

But with a little help from her friend, Mr. Alcohol, she was soon able to create an opening. Trixie already had a glass of wine in front of her and seemed to have been enjoying the rest of the bottle earlier in the night. Only half an hour into the visit and she was already giggling and talking far more loudly than usual (quite a feat in Bianca’s mind). Conversation seemed to flow out of her like a rushing waterfall, especially with Katya spurring her on. The two bickered playfully as they all bounced from one topic to the next until Katya recalled somehow or another that Bianca’s gift might’ve already been wrapped and ready to give away. 

As she rushed to the tree to look, Bianca’s eyes drifted to the mistletoe. A devilish little smirk tugged at her lips and with a light nudge of her elbow, she brought Trixie’s attention to the fake plant. There was a suggestive look in her eye as she jutted her head towards the mistletoe and then back at Katya, still searching beneath the tree.

“She’d be so disappointed,” Trixie pointed out calmly before taking another sip. Lowering the glass, a devious smile of her own stretched across her face as she whispered gleefully, “I love it.” 

With that mutual understanding the pair left their seats at the kitchen island and made their way towards the tree. Stopping beneath the ceiling light, they waited until they heard a triumphant “Found it!” and for Katya to spin around. The joyful grin on her face disappeared into a look of shock as her eyes traveled upwards to the mistletoe hanging directly above the women. 

Feigning innocence, Bianca cast her gaze up to the fake plant to and said, “Oh, look at that. Mistletoe.”

Struggling to restrain herself from laughing, Trixie chimed in, “Guess we have no choice, huh, Bianca?”

“Guess not, Trixie.”

When their lips connected, Bianca swore she heard some kind of squeak from Katya, probably of indignation. She’d have loved to see the look on her face but the majority of her attention laid focused on the kiss. Every ounce of her was praying for some kind of sign that Trixie was her mystery person from the party, just so this could all be over and done with and she’d finally have her answer.

No such luck.

Though the kiss was fun, Trixie even throwing in an exaggerated moan for good measure, she was not the person Bianca was looking for. Her kiss was firm and deliberate. No passion, simply just playing up the dramatics for an opportunity to annoy Katya. Unlike Phi Phi and even Willam a little bit, there was simply no spark. Merely a simple press of the lips without any emotional attachment.

It was a let down but Bianca did her best not to let her disappointment show. She still had a wonderful chance to toy with Katya, after all.

And as expected, Katya didn't know what to say or make of the situation as the pair all but made out in front of her. The two might have let things go on for just a moment longer but Trixie's laughter soon forced them to break apart. She buried her face in the crook of Bianca's neck as she tried to regain some of her composure. Even Bianca couldn’t help but join in after seeing Katya's frazzled expression.

“Fucking cunts!"

“Sorry, Katya,” Bianca replied insincerely as she shrugged her shoulders, “Better luck next year!”

"Wha- _next_ year?!?" she cried out as she stormed up to the women, "That's not fair! Trixie wasn't even trying-"

Her rambling went on for a good minute and Bianca was inclined to just let her continue but she had a change of heart when Trixie gave her a little nudge and whispered persuadingly, "Let her have it just this once. She really was trying her best to kiss you. And she probably won't shut up about it until next year anyway."

Very true. Katya probably would keep bringing it up until _next_ Christmas.

Giving a dramatic roll of her eyes for good measure, Bianca stepped forward and pulled Katya in for a kiss, if only to shut her up for the time being. There was a moment of shock from the other woman, as if she couldn’t believe this was actually happening, but all that soon disappeared as she let herself become lost in the kiss. 

Katya was enthusiastic, enough that it even surprised Bianca, but that wasn’t what ultimately forced her to pull away. Katya had pulled Bianca in closer and though she was receptive at first, she had to draw the line when she felt an all too familiar pressure against her lips.

Drawing back, she gave Katya a stern look, and warned her, “No tongue.”

A dazzling, charming smile was shot back at her as Katya replied far too innocently, “Can’t blame me for trying.”

“I sure as hell can.”

Despite her best attempts at a glare, nothing seemed able to phase Katya. She simply looked too proud of herself to let anything bother her now that she finally got what she wanted. Recognizing the futility of any further efforts, Bianca opted to change the subject so she could get on with her evening and decide what she ought to do next.

“So, we gonna open gifts or what?”

*******

_Trixie: AAHHHH!!!! YOU GUYS ARE GONNA FREAK OUT!_

_Jinkx: What happened?_

_Vanessa: Something good finally?_

_Mariah: Come on bitch, out with it!_

_Sharon: Wait_

_Sharon: Why is Katya texting me?_

_Willam: me too_

_Mariah: Same_

_Willam: mass text_

_Willam: SHIT!!!!_

******

Half an hour later, Bianca had said her goodbyes to Trixie and Katya, and left to deliver a few more gifts before calling it a night. For another 3 hours she drove around the city to visit her friends, pausing to chat for a few minutes here and there before excusing herself to continue her trip.

About midway through her journey, she received a text from Willam. Not surprising on the surface...until she read the subject.

_Willam: you kissed katya?!?_

Highly perplexed, Bianca responded back with ‘ _Trixie too. How’d you find out?’_

The answer came back minutes later and was nearly enough to make Bianca slam her head into her car’s steering wheel...repeatedly.

_Willam: katya told us._

Already horrified at the answer, Bianca typed out, ‘’ _Us?’’ Who is ‘us’?’_

_Willam: uhhh_

_Willam: there’s a lot of people_

_Willam: she sent a mass text_

‘ _I’m going to kill her_ ,’ Bianca repeated like a mantra as she traveled from one home to the next for the rest of the night. Why did she think that Katya _wouldn’t_ go around telling someone about what happened? Hell, after all she posts of Trixie and their life together it should have been expected that she’d blab about this to their friends. Bianca’s only hope was that she might keep it off social media but even that she strongly doubted.

 _‘I’m going to_ **_kill_ ** _her!’_ Bianca seethed in silence as she walked up to Alaska’s apartment and knocked on the door.

The second the door opened, she was immediately greeted with, “You kissed Katya!?!?”

 _‘With one of those gaudy Christmas decorations,’_ Bianca thought ominously, _‘I’ll fucking kill her with one of those hideous Santa figures.’_

“See you got the text too,” Bianca noted bitterly as Alaska moved to allow her inside.

“Yes!” she all but yelled, glancing between the phone in her hand and the woman in front of her. “Wha- _How_ ? Fuck that! _Why?_ ”

“What do you mean ‘why’? There was fucking mistletoe. Or didn’t she tell anyone that?”

“No, it’s there!” Alaska snapped back in irritation, “But that doesn’t explain _why_ ! You don’t kiss _anyone_ , especially Katya. Not on girl’s night out and definitely not stone-cold sober.”

Staring at her overly animated friend, she noted in a deadpan voice, “Well, we drank about 2 bottles between us.”

Unamused, Alaska rebuffed her, “Bianca!” and proceeded to probe her for more of an explanation. She rightfully knew that Bianca, out of everyone in their social group, exercised far more restraint while drinking, especially when it’s around her friends. Given that knowledge, Alaska _knew_ there had to be a deeper reason for why she’d kiss Katya of all people. Something more than just mistletoe and she was determined to find out what. Alaska kept up her prodding for several more minutes until Bianca finally gave in.

“Fine!” she relented with a huff as she collapsed onto Alaska’s couch, “But don’t fucking laugh!”

Keeping her story very brief and very censored, Bianca related where she got the brilliant idea to go over to the women and make use of their mistletoe. She explained the few clues that she had to her mystery kisser’s identity; the green lipstick, similar height, and of course, still at the party after 2 AM. After having eliminated the other most likely suspects, Trixie had been her next stop to investigate and the kiss with Katya had just been something of circumstance and certainly not the end goal. Essentially, all Bianca was trying to do at the women’s apartment was to get some answers and unfortunately the ones she got were not what she wanted.

But even as she vented, talking with Alaska did make her feel more calm, at least considering how she felt only 30 minutes ago. And Alaska seemed to have gotten over her initial shock of the kiss with Katya. Alaska mused thoughtfully over all that Bianca had said, then asked with a hint of judgement in her undertone, “And you really thought it’d be _Trixie_?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Bianca admitted, “She’s almost the last on the list. I’ve talked to just about everyone else and it’s not them so she was kinda like an outside bet...But it’s not her either,” she added bitterly.

“You didn’t talk to me,” Alaska pointed out gloomily, “I had green lipstick too, you know.”

Scoffing at the idea, Bianca argued with a small smile, “You’re too tall. Even with me in heels.”

Acting as if offended, Alaska shot back weakly, “I could have taken them off!”

At this Bianca burst out laughing at the stupid suggestion but despite her initial assumptions, it seems Alaska was dead serious. Her voice climbed in pitch as she asserted, “I could have!” 

Regaining some of her composure, at least enough to contain her amusement to just a disbelieving smile, Bianca glanced over to find Alaska with a pout firmly settled on her lips and her arms crossed tightly to boot. Grumbling mostly to herself, Bianca heard her complaining, “Can’t believe you kissed _Katya_. She wasn’t even wearing green lipstick!”

Though she knew she ought to have been more tactful, Bianca found herself immediately rolling her eyes and teased her with, “What? Jealous of me?”

“No!” was the adamant denial.

Even if Alaska had managed to say that without snapping, Bianca was sure she wouldn’t have believed her. There was a very light flush that spread across Alaska’s cheeks at the suggestion and her body seemed to twitch with nerves. Bianca definitely struck a chord somewhere but honestly, she didn’t really care enough to find out why. Instead, she simply tried to brush the situation under the rug with an offhand comment of, “Trust me, it was _not_ my favorite kiss either. Even Willam was better than that. At least _she_ didn’t try to slip in any tongue.”

At that Alaska’s face shifted from annoyed to downright irritated. Forgetting herself and the fact that Bianca was right next to her, she yelled out in shock, “You kissed Willam?!?”

“And Phi Phi and Nila,” she added in carelessly. She shrugged her shoulders as though it weren’t a big deal, and in her mind it really wasn’t, but the glare being sent her way assured her that Alaska was of a different opinion. She actually looked pissed off over this information, her expression ranging from anger and disbelief to exasperation and shock. 

“What?” Bianca questioned, feeling tiny pangs of guilt but for what reason, she could only speculate.

Now certainly on the brink of a tantrum, Alaska huddled in on herself and replied sharply, “Nothing.”

Finding herself becoming thoroughly fed up, Bianca suggested impatiently, “Oh my god! Do you want me to kiss you, too? Is that it?”

“...Yes,” came the mumbled reply.

 _‘Really?’_ Bianca lamented to herself, ‘ _When did my life turn into_ this _?’_

“Fucking fine!” she conceded and pushed herself well into Alaska’s space. The sudden invasion caught her by surprise but within moments she became compliant to Bianca’s lead. At the slight nod of approval, Bianca leant in to close the remaining distance and allow their lips to connect. 

The kiss was soft at first, very hesitant and unsure, almost like Alaska was doubting herself but she quickly lost that uncertainty and pressed her lips more firmly against Bianca’s. From there it became much more natural and flowing, like something well-practiced but with a certain passion that kept things interesting.

Bianca’s hand raised itself to cup Alaska’s cheek but that little touch seemed to jolt her back into reality. Alaska pulled away and blinked repeatedly in surprise as if she was still trying to convince herself of what happened. Her mouth hung slightly open but whether or not she was trying to speak remained lost on Bianca.

Having enough of the speechlessness, she questioned, “Well?”

“Um.”

“Yes?” she drawled out as her brow arched in expectation.

“I…” came the slow reply, “I’m gonna get something to smoke.”

In a half-dazed state, Alaska pushed herself from the couch and wandered off in the direction of her bedroom. Rolling her eyes, Bianca pulled out her phone in the meantime and found two new messages waiting for her and a third coming in. The first was from Adore, a simple laugh-cry emoji, the second from Mariah asking what the hell was going on and included a screenshot of some other message for reference. Then the final text was one Bianca didn’t even bother to read. She simply saw Alyssa’s name flashing across the screen and assumed it was probably in relation to Katya’s mass text and left things at that. She’ll deal with it later, she decided.

By now Alaska had found a joint and was promptly smoking away in silence. She sat down next to Bianca again but didn’t quite dare to look directly at her just yet. Her mind still appeared to be wrapped up in trying to make sense of what had just happened. Trying to lighten the mood, Bianca said plainly, “It definitely wasn’t you either.”

The comment produced an eruption of laughter and broke the silence Alaska had been keeping. As Bianca finally handed over the gift she had brought, she took notice of a very familiar smell. The scent of marijuana filled the apartment but something about it gave Bianca reason to pause, enough that she missed Alaska’s reaction as she tore away the paper.

Bianca was well used to the scent lingering on some of her friends from time to time and often ignored it, but tonight it was different. It was so strong that she just had to take notice of it and briefly she wondered how long it had been since she smelled this anywhere.

Then it hit her.

She had been around it recently. _Very recently_.

At the party...that smell she remembered when she was kissing the other woman. It was strong...too strong to have just been wafting in from another room or even from a session earlier in the day. It was right there under her nose...from someone who had just smoked!

A sick feeling came bubbling up to the pit of Bianca’s stomach as she remembered Raja’s words; she and Laganja had been smoking not too long before Bianca ended up making out with someone beneath the mistletoe. Raja said the Laganja and Adore found her almost immediately afterwards and they were chatting away. Hell, they were fucking _getting along_.

It all started to fit. All the little clues pointed in _her_ direction. Willam might’ve been half-joking when she suggested Laganja as the mystery kisser but it had been based on truth! It really could have been her.

Bianca felt bile starting to rise in her throat. How could she have gotten so drunk she kissed _Laganja_ of all people? How could Laganja even let her?

It was too much.

There had to be some other explanation!

Wait! There was still one more person! 

Shangela! 

Bianca knew she had to ask her and quick or she might just lose it. As politely as she could, she excused herself from Alaska’s apartment but not before receiving a tight squeeze for the thoughtful gift. Alaska was gushing over how perfect it was but for the life of her, Bianca just couldn’t remember what she had given right at this moment. Her mind was elsewhere and try as she might, she just couldn’t stop the dots from connecting and pointing back to Laganja.

But as soon as Bianca was free from Alaska’s apartment, she pulled out her phone, ignored the two new messages, and called up Shangela. There were four tense rings before the other woman finally picked up with a very suspicious and questioning tone to her voice as she called out, “Hello?” 

Wasting no time with small talk, Bianca blurted out in a panic, “Did I kiss you at Alyssa’s party?”

“Well, hello to you, too, Miss Del Rio,” Shangela replied with a slight air of irritation, “Yes, I’ve been doing lovely. Got all of my holiday shopping done, going to visit my parents next week and-”

“Shangela!” Bianca interrupted brusquely, “Did I kiss you or not? I need to know.”

“Bianca, what’s-”

“Please,” she spoke firmly, “Can you tell me?”

There was a moment’s pause as Shangela debated whether or not to try and push for an explanation of Bianca's rushed behavior. Ultimately deciding against it, Shangela let out a soft sigh and answered, “No. We didn’t kiss at the party.”

A weight dropped in Bianca’s stomach. She had no reason to doubt Shangela’s word but she just couldn’t let go of this so easily. It _had_ to be Shangela that she kissed! It had to be someone that wasn’t Laganja!

“Are you sure?” she questioned, “Everyone had been drinking and-”

“I’m sure, Bianca,” Shangela interjected with a firm resolution, “I was with Alyssa most of the night trying to keep everyone under control. I hardly saw you until the end and you were dead asleep an hour after that.”

Feeling her throat clench with the definite information, Bianca thanked her and moved to end the call. Shangela was still pressing her for an answer but Bianca remained elusive. Her body felt cold as she realized she really had no other suspects left. Everyone else had all been crossed off for one reason or another until all that remained was... _her._

Bianca just couldn’t bring herself to believe that it was Laganja all this time. Yes, the clues all pointed to her but with the way she felt during that kiss? That little spark that made her feel so comfortable and relaxed? How could it possibly have been Laganja that produced that?

It just didn’t make sense!

And yet...it was true.

There was no one else left but her.

These thoughts ran through Bianca’s mind like a broken record as she drove home. Not even the music on the radio could distract her from this revelation. Every thought just kept drifting back to Laganja, even after she arrived home.

The only thing she thought that might combat it, at least for a little while was scrolling through her phone...maybe do some damage control after Katya’s text. Unsurprisingly, Bianca found she had another set of new messages waiting for her but strangely not all were related to the kiss...well, the one with Katya anyway.

The most recent message actually came from Willam. A rather ominous question of _‘Did you kiss Alaska?’_

The use of punctuation and capitalization for once should have been a red flag but at the moment, Bianca just couldn’t bring herself to care what it all meant. Instead all she did was type back a short confirmation followed by a half-hearted joke, _‘What? She send out a mass text, too?’_

 _‘No,’_ came the swift response. _‘Why?’_

_Bianca: Why what?_

_Willam: Why did you kiss her?_

Good god! This was the last thing Bianca wanted to deal with right now; a jealous Willam interrogating her via text. All she wanted was to find a distraction and failing that, sulk in peace, not play peacekeeper with her friend for a harmless kiss.

Fed up with the conversation already, Bianca gave a brief recap of the events leading up to the kiss and firmly stated the topic was closed for the night. She doubted Willam would actually let this go, even for a night, and mentally prepared herself for a barrage of texts she was sure Willam was busy typing out as those three familiar grey dots appeared on her screen. As one last attempt to change the topic, even slightly, Bianca fired off one final, quick message, _‘You were right. It was Laganja.’_

To her shock, the grey dots disappeared for almost two minutes. It was as though Willam were genuinely thinking about something...or perhaps busy with something else. Her long awaited response however, was decidedly not something Bianca would have expected; _‘Adore is coming over.’_

Why the fuck would Bianca care if Adore was coming over to Willam’s place?

Having enough of this, Bianca tossed her phone aside and moved to the kitchen in search of something to eat. While she didn’t have much of an appetite, especially as she struggled to digest the night’s events, she knew it’d be better for her to have something in her stomach that wasn’t Trixie’s cookies. But even the toast and tea she made for herself did little to improve her mood.

She was sitting on her couch watching some random program as she finished her small meal when her front door began to open. She stared in confusion, trying to remember which of her friends had a key to her apartment and who would possibly think to stop over so late in the evening. Her answer appeared in just a few short moments as Adore slipped past the door frame and plopped down on the couch next to her with a bright, cheerful smile.

Bianca shot back a look, one silently asking why she was here but Adore remained steadfast in her sunny mood. There was a hint of smugness to her voice as she stated, “Heard you’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, I already know you got Katya’s text, bitch,” Bianca grumbled moodily.

“And a couple from Willam, too,” Adore chirped away happily.

Rolling her eyes, Bianca asked reluctantly just what exactly Willam had been telling her. She could only imagine what stories she was spinning to Adore and what embellishments of her own she likely added in.

Carelessly shrugging her shoulders, Adore continued to make herself comfortable on Bianca’s couch as she lazily recounted, “Just about everything you’ve told her; you kissed someone at Alyssa’s party and don’t remember who. You’ve been trying to find out for the last two weeks but nothing’s panned out...That kinda thing.”

“Oh, yeah?” Bianca remarked skeptically, “Anything else?”

Adore’s lips curled into a hint of a smirk as she replied, “Maybe who all you’ve kissed so far.”

“Great,” Bianca drawled out sarcastically, “Last time I tell _her_ anything.”

A chuckle emanated from the body beside her but figuring Adore already knew this much Bianca reluctantly asked, “And did she happen to mention who is left on that list?”

“She did.”

Arching her brow at the very plain and underwhelming response, Bianca inquired, “And?”

“And you’re wrong,” she stated simply, still with that smirk growing ever prominent on her face. “That’s why she sent me over here.”

“ _Wrong?_ ” Bianca repeated in disbelief, only to receive a nod of the head as an answer. They stared at each other for a few moments, Adore looking like the picture of serenity and Bianca looking impatient and irritated. When Adore was not forthcoming with anymore information, Bianca finally relented, “Okay, then, I’ll bite. How am I wrong and why would sending _you_ over here prove anything?”

There was nothing but smugness in her tone as Adore informed her, “Because _I_ know who you kissed.”

“What?!? Who?” Bianca demanded, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You never asked.”

It felt like something had snapped in her brain as she heard that answer but deep down (very, very deep down) she knew Adore was right. She hadn’t mentioned a thing to her so how could Adore possibly know that she’d been hunting so fervently for this mystery kisser, aside from what she heard from Willam...little snitch.

Coming to the end of her patience, particularly now that the answer was within her grasp, Bianca implored, “ _Who?”_

“Me.”

“Bullshit,” she accused in a huff. There was no way it could have been Adore. She’d have known, right? And besides, she was simply way too tall! She _towered_ over Bianca when they had stood next to each other at the party, thanks to those platform boots she loves. She was already so tall without them, rivaling even Alaska’s height. There was just no way it could have been _her_.

Seeing the incredulity clearly evident on Bianca’s face had Adore laughing once more at her skepticism. She hadn’t expected Bianca to believe her right away, especially after what she heard from Willam, but still it was a bit funny how set in her opinions she was. Figuring the best way to convince her was an example, she crashed their lips together and waited for Bianca to make the next move. There was a little twitch of movement at first, almost as if she were testing the waters but then she finally came to life. Their lips worked together in synchrony, creating something beautiful and comforting...something _safe_. A wave of relaxation swept through Bianca’s body as she realized it was finally the right kiss.

Losing any remaining hesitance, Bianca pressed even more firmly for just a few seconds longer, then finally pulled back with a vaguely stunned look on her face. For once she was speechless. All she could do was stare at Adore and murmur defeatedly, “Oh.”

Doing her best to contain another snicker, Adore pulled out her phone and flipped through the camera roll. Coming upon a particular picture, she extended the cell out to Bianca as further proof of her statement.

Glancing down at the screen, Bianca was surprised to find an actual fucking photo of them kissing. Adore must have been trying to take it without looking because it was off-center and horribly blurred, as if her hand was slipping as she pressed the button...But still it was undeniably them in the midst of a liplock. Bianca could even see the traces of the hideous green lipstick smeared past her lips and both of their mouths curling as if trying to contain their laughter. It was like a slap to the face with a cold, wet towel.

Withdrawing the phone from her friend’s hands, Adore took one last look before locking the screen and mentioned casually, “Yeah...it came out way too blurry to post. Surprised I didn’t delete it right then. But a few days after, Willam reached out and asked if I remembered anything from the party. She was dancing around it, like trying to hint at the kiss but really badly, so I sent her this and told I already knew. She laughed for 20 minutes after that.”

“And let me guess,” Bianca stated, coming upon Adore’s point herself, “She told you _not_ to tell me?”

“Not unless you asked,” Adore agreed with a secretive smile. “She knew you wouldn’t.”

“Fucking _bitch_ ,” Bianca found herself muttering incredulously. “I’ll bet she’s still laughing up a storm now.”

Shrugging her shoulders, smile ever present on her lips, Adore informed her peacefully, “She was. She was sending me updates almost right after she got them-there’s a whole group text about this, by the way-Then she found out you kissed Alaska. She didn’t like that.”

Scoffing, Bianca replied, “Yeah, I’ll bet not.”

That was probably the last straw for her. Bianca could only imagine the fun Willam was having in all of this. Watching all this from the sidelines, particularly as Bianca starting losing her head as name after name was scratched off the list. Fucking incredible. And who exactly was in that group chat?

Whatever. 

She’ll find out later.

But now she felt even less guilty kissing Alaska than before. Willam deserved a bit of karma for all of this, after all.

Still, there was one thing that didn’t make sense to her though. Confused, she asked, “But how is it _you_? You were wearing those fucking platform boots, you were almost as tall as Raja in those!”

Pausing for a moment, Adore took the chance to think again about what happened that night. She ran through the party’s events once more, then finally remembered her smoke session with Laganja and Raja. Grinning brightly at her friend, she stated, “Oh, yeah! I took those off when we were smoking. Ganja didn’t want any shoes on her bed and afterwards I didn’t feel like lacing them back up again.”

“Oh.”

The answer was so simple and so... _so stupid!_

But Bianca had no doubt that it was true. After all, she had spotted Adore’s bare feet on her walk of shame. And most everyone else’s. Ugh... _that_ was a sight.

Finding herself feeling a good deal chastened by the whole situation, she noted calmly, “So...that’s it. It really was you.”

“Yep.”

“Thanks...for finally telling me.”

Another bright smile was shot her way and somehow, it really did make Bianca feel a bit better about everything. She might end up apologizing to Willam for her little incident with Alaska but that could be saved for tomorrow...and after thoroughly bitching her out for letting this go on for so long. For now, she was just intent on enjoying the overwhelming relief that Laganja was _not_ her mystery kisser, thank the heavens.

It was like a weight lifted from her body and she could breathe easily again.

Turning back to face Adore, she offered, “Wanna order take out?”

“You buying?” she teased, already pulling her phone out to begin looking for options.

“Yeah, bitch.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she chirped away happily. “And while we’re eating, you can tell me what’s going on with you and Phi Phi!”


End file.
